Jin hummed quietly as he typed away on his laptop, typing up a paper that he had due tomorrow. The library was quiet as always, his headphones on his ears to block out any sound that may pop up. The school day was almost over making the teen rejoice at the thought of going home, glancing at the time and humming happily.

Well, all right before someone stood in front of him, the familiar aura making him grimace.
    "Mister Aizawa, getting ready to go for the day?" Mrs. Alice Brown asked him, a tight smile on her painted lips.
    "Uh, yeah... Starting to at least..." Jin mumbled, taking out one of his headphones. Mrs. Brown tightened her smile slightly, setting a small gift basket in front of him.
    "Well, someone left this in the office for you. It might be a secret admirer." The attendant told him, winking at him. It wasn't a large gift basket but held an array of baked goods, ranging from cookies to brownies.
    "Oh, uh, okay... Thank you..." He smiled slightly, setting the basket by his book bag. Something was off about her, he could tell, deciding to let the feeling go as he packed up.
    "Have a good... day, Mister Aizawa." Alice forced, turning on her heel and leaving the library.

Green eyes watched in confusion before the teen shook his head, the bell ringing shortly after the strange encounter with his "rival". If that's what he should call it... He grabbed his things and stood, making his way out of the library and out of the school.
    "Jin, baby boy!" His mother called with a wave, his little sister clinging to her hand. That's right, he wasn't riding the bus home today.
    "Hi mama, hi princess...!" Jin smiled, watching his baby sister, toddle over to him squealing. He picked her up and smothered her with big brother kisses, her squeals making the mother smile.
    "How was school, my little spirit?" Night asked, taking his backpack carefully since he had his hands full with his sister and- a gift basket? "Where did that come from?"
    "Oh, I guess someone left it for me in the office... It's got a bunch of baked goodies in it so I couldn't pass it up..." Jin told her, opening the back door of the family car. The young mother felt unease pierce her heart, setting her son's bag on the opposite side in the backseat as he buckled Serenity up.
    "No note or anything?" She asked him, tilting her head to the side in question. Jin shook his head and shrugged, closing the door carefully.
    "Nope, just an admirer... That's at least what Mrs. Brown said... She was the one that brought it to me..."

Ah yes,  Alice Brown, an old bitter woman who seemingly hated her when she was in high school.

Night frowned, starting the car when everyone was inside and buckled.
    "Jin, something about this doesn't seem right." She told him gently, looking at him in concern. Her teenager shrugged yet again, looking at all of the treats the basket held.
    "Everything looks so good mama... What could go wrong with a bunch of sweets...?"
    "Literally anything, Jin. Look, I don't know where that came from but it gives me an awful feeling. Promise me you won't eat anything out of there."
    "What...? Why not...?" Jin looked over in surprise, a pout on his lips when he saw how concerned his mother looked.
    "Jin, please. I'm not saying this to be the bad guy, I'm saying this to protect you."
    "But-"
    "Jin..." Night's tone suddenly sharpened into a stern warning, challenging her son to argue. Jin scoffed and crossed his arms, leaning back into his seat as his eyebrows furrowed angrily.
    "Whatever..."

~~~

Jin stared at the basket he just dug out of the trash, pulling out the treats from the plastic as quietly as he could. It was currently three in the morning, his stomach rumbling in anticipation at the thought of the treats. His mother made him throw the gift basket away the moment they came home, deciding to play along for the rest of the night and, once his parents fell asleep, turn around and eat them anyway.

What's the worst that could happen?

Pale hands worked into the plastic and carefully pulled out a couple of the cookies and brownies, his green eyes lighting up as he unwrapped the treats before indulging. Jin ate as many his stomach could handle all before he hid the evidence in his room, clicking his tongue in satisfaction before getting back in bed to go to bed. After all, he had school in the morning.

School.

The morning was going by as it normally would. The teen getting ready for school, Hartz wishing his family a great day and leaving for work, and Night tending to Serenity. Normal, right? Jin had decided to take the bus to school to save his mama a trip and, somewhere in the time he left the house and got on the bus, his stomach turned. He felt nauseous the whole ride to school that water wasn't able to curb, the raven-haired teen pushing past the feeling as he didn't want to miss the day. He'll be fine, he thought. Apparently he looked rather sickly as he wandered inside the school, a teacher asking if he felt okay and responding with 'I feel fine...'

He was definitely not fine.

Somehow in the time he walked into the building, his vision had blurred and dotted with black spots, deciding to go into the bathroom to splash some cold water in his face. Everything felt slow, his heartbeat reaching his ears as his eyes rolled, collapsing right in the hallway.
    "Oh my god! Someone call 911!" A student yelled, a teacher rushing over with his phone to his ear.

~~~

    "Where is he?!"

Her voice was broken up with tears, her husband behind her holding their daughter as they rushed to the reception desk.
    "Hey hey, ma'am you need to calm down." The receptionist told her, looking at the mother in concern. "What's going on? Who are you looking for?"
    "My- My son, my baby boy! I just got a call saying he was brought in by an ambulance." Night breathed, tears in her eyes yet again. "I-I just sent him to school, his name is Jin."
    "Oh! Please, follow me." The nurse said, standing and having the family follow her down a hall. Serenity watched in confusion as her mommy cried, her daddy eerily quiet as she clung to his shirt. No, it wasn't until the lady brought them to a strange-looking room did she realize what was going on.

Her large grey eyes landed on her brother, the toddler immediately starting to cry as she fought her dad's arms to get to her favorite person. Hartz held her closer and bounced her in his arms, trying to calm her down as the doctor working on their son talked to Night.
    "Miss Slydale, you won't like anything I tell you." The doctor told her, Night furrowing her eyebrows.
    "Give it to me straight, doctor. I need to know what's going on with my baby boy."
    "Well... Look, he's showing the signs of arsenic poisoning, so I need to know everything he's eaten in the last twenty-four hours."

Night stomach dropped, looking at her husband with the same look he was giving her. Shock.  Arsenic poisoning?
    "I know he only eats anything I make him. He's a vegetarian, a somewhat picky eater, doesn't trust anything someone he doesn't know makes him."
    "Be honest with me, are you poisoning your own son?" The physician asked her, his tone sharpening slightly due to the sick feeling he had. The blonde suddenly grew angry, her hands on her hips.
    "How dare you insinuate something terrible! This is my son, my baby boy, I'd do anything to help him get better!" She snapped, pointing a stern finger at the doctor. Hartz furrowed his eyes rows, looking at his wife.
    "Night, dear, didn't he come home with a gift basket?"
    "Yes but I had him throw it away. You don't think he..."
    "What gift basket? What was in it?"
    "Something he got from school, an attendant there said someone left it for him. Had a bunch of baked goods in it." Night explained, trying to ignore her nausea.

The doctor nodded and checked the fluids he started on the poor teen, looking back to his parents.
    "Find that basket and bring it in, I'd like to see it and the contents."

~~~

    "They tested positive for arsenic." The young parents were told, Night having found the baked goods hidden in her son's room with quite a few missing.
    "He got that from the school." Night grew angrier upon hearing the news, standing and grabbing her keys before storming from the room.
    "Night-" Hartz tried to call out, sighing when she never acknowledged him. It was no use anyway, her mind set on whatever it was she was doing. Either going to the school or the police. Serenity was curled up on her brother's hospital bed, sniffling and whimpering since she wanted to be held by her brother.

Jin whined softly as he shifted, his hand reaching out and petting his sister's head.
    "Bubber...?" Serenity sniffled, sitting up and patting his tummy.
    "H-hey princess..." The teen mumbled, Hartz smiling and walking over.
    "Hey handsome, how are you feeling?"
    "Like death... I feel so sick..." Jin looked around when his vision straightened slightly, furrowing his eyebrows. "Where's mama...?"
    "Probably getting arrested." Hartz chuckled, rubbing his temple. "The moment she found out what made you so sick, she grabbed her keys and left."
    "What made me sick...?"
    "Those treats, they were laced with arsenic."

Green eyes widened in shock, his hand coming up and covering his mouth.
    "No... Dad, you're lying to me..." He desperately wanted him to be lying, tears in his eyes. Hartz frowned and shook his head, sighing and taking a seat next to the bed.
    "Your mother is currently figuring out who made that gift basket and when she does, I know I'm going to have to bail her out of jail..." The young father told him, petting his head. Jin leaned into his hand and started crying, covering his face.

His mama was right all along about those treats and he didn't listen.

He just hopes she's not mad at him...

NightBear15 signing off...